buckingham



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

O. L. BUGKINGHAM.

PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 487,985. Patented Dec. 13, 1892.

(NoModeL) v BSheets-Sheet 2. G. L. .BUOKINGHAM.

PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

Patented- Dec. 13, 1892.

dpwgm at 35 m l E nonm's PETERS 00.. mo'rdurpa. wAsHma'ron. n. c.

(.No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. L. BUOKINGHAM. PRINTING TELEGRAPH.

No. 487,985. Patented Dec. 13, 1892.

Autom. 116 PT 5% a'mvewtoz TNZ NuRms PETER: 00., PHDTO-LiTHO,WASHINGTON, m c.

PATENT FFICEQ CHARLES L. BUCKINGHAM, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRINTING-TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 487,985, datedDecemberdwtZ.

Application filed December 11,1889. Renewed June 921Serial ,p,

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that '1, CHARLES L. BUOKING- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing in the city, county, and State of New York,have made a new and useful Improvement in Printing-Telegraphs, ofwhichthe following is a specification.

In another application executed by me November 2, 1888, I have describedand claimed certain improvements in telegraphy and printing-machines inwhich a series of impelling devices employed for rotating a type-wheelare operated by a multiple-telegraph system. The several impellingmechanisms are capable of operation, separately, altogether, or in minorcombinations, and act conjointly, any one ofthemservingtoimpartamovementto the typewheel supplementary to that setup by one or more of the others, while rotation effected by two or moreof said mechanisms operated together is equal to the sum of the movementdue to their action when called into operation singly, and not inconjunction one with the others. In that application the pressmechanism. is brought into action as a condition subsequent to theoperation of the typewheel by the closing of a local circuit including apress-magnet, either through the agency of impelling devices foroperating the type-wheel or by the opening and closing of suchlocal-circuit contacts by the various positions of rotation of thetype-wheel. These arrangements require the return of the type wheel toits initial position after an impression before the press can again bebrought into action; nor can the printing of a character be repeatedwithout first returning the wheel to zero and readj usting it, and thusit is that a second blank space upon the wheel is required to enable themaking of blanks between words in the recorded messages.

The object of my present improvement is to enable spacing between wordswhile the wheel remains in its initial position, and the repeating ofcharacters in a message while it remains in a fixed position andadjusted to print such character. A further advantage of thisimprovement is that after an impression has been taken thetype-Wheel-impelling devices brought into action need not be returned totheir original position before other devices for bringing the wheel intoplace for :t l'ienext character are 'op'e rated. W hile the impellingdevices for giving the Wheel one adjustment are returning to theirnormal position, other devices for giving the wheel its next positionmay be actuated. Thus the adjustment of the wheel to aposition toprintasecond character is accomplished in the same time that wouldotherwise be required to return the wheel to its initial point after thefirst impression. To accomplish these results, I employ a pressmechanism which is made to operate in unison with the transmitter at thedistant station but by mechanism whose operation is independent of thetype wheel or apparatus connected therewith. The type wheel de-.- vicesand the press mechanism are independent of each other, except that bothare operated by or in unison with the transmitter, and thus it is thatno movement of the wheel or apparatus connected therewith is necessaryto the operation of the press. To this end a periodically-vibratingplaten is used, whose movement is controlled from thetransmitting-station. The press is so timed as to be raised for animpression only after the adjustment of the type-wheel, and reciprocallythe action of the wheel is periodical in that its adjustment for animpression is effected at regular intervals and momentarily before theoperation of the press. This resultis accomplished by running a strip ofperforated paper through the transmitter at a uniform speed, withinwhich are formed characters at equal distances apart along its lengthand by causing the motor operating the press mechanism to run in unisonwith the transmitter. Synchronism or unison may be effected byperiodically sending impulses from the transmitter to the receiver,thereby causing the receiver to follow the movement of the transmitter,or, instead, the movement of the transmitter may be made to follow thereceiver by means of unison impulses sent from the receiver to thetransmitter, thereby regulating the speed of the transmitting-paper tothe action of the press mechanism.

The following is a description of two different forms of unisonarrangements for carrying out my invention.

Figure l is a perspective View of a receiving-instrument used inconnection with my present improvement. Fig. 2 represents developmentsof the type-wheel periphery, the diagram at the left showing thecharacters which are brought over the platen by operating the severalimpelling devices singly, the second one the characters by operatingthem two at a time, the third the characters by operating them three ata time, the fourth, the characters, excepting the dash, by operatingthem four at a time. The dash itself is adjusted by all together. Fig. 3is a diagram showing the circuits and magnets of the system togetherwith a regulator for causing the platen to operate in unison with thepaperdrum of the transmitter. Fig. 3 is a modification of a part of thetransmitter shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a modification of the unisonapparatus of Fig. In Fig. 4 the paperdrum of the transmitter is made torun in unison with and follow the motor which actuates the platen at thereceiver, while in Fig. 3 the motor which actuates the platen is made tofollow the paper-dru m.

In Fig. 1, as in my application, Serial No. 290,449, filed November 10,1888, I show five impelling devices F G H I J, and a series ofaxially-movable drivers at Z) 0 cl 6, alternately arranged with a seriesof rotating followersf g h 't' j, the latter having grooved journalsmounted in bearings Z m it q, to prevent axial displacement. Drivers ctand d are feathered in their bearings 0, and are therefore incapable ofrotation. From this construction it follows that by operating the impelling devices through their magnets l 2 3 4 5 singly in minorcombinations or altogether, any one of the four typerings and anycharacter therein may be adjusted over the platen for an impression. Theplaten is mounted upon a lever a: and is actuated by aconstantly-rotating eccentric, the latter being mounted upon a shaft7"", to which uniform rotation is imparted by any suitable motor. Racktis held upon shaft 7' by two collars s .9. Thus during its rotationsaid shaft may be moved backward and forward along its axis by means ofpinion t, to which motion is imparted through follower j, the latterbeing operated by impelling devices I J.

In the arrangement described in my preceding application printing isei'fected only by the operation of the impelling devices through theagency of local circuits closed by them, or by a local circuit which isclosed or opened by the movement of the type-wheel or some partmechanically connected therewith. In my present application, however,the press has a movement quite independent of that of the type-wheel,except that the latter is and must be operated in advance of the former,so that the wheel may reach its position of adjustment before receivingthe blow of the platen. To this end the unison mechanisms shown in Figs.3 and 4 are employed. In Fig. 3 I have shown an automatic multipletransmitter, by which one Morse and five harmonic transmissions may besimultaneously effected. All but the last harmonic transmission areemployed for operating relays U V WV X Y,and they in turn impellingdevicesl 2 3 4.- 5. The last transmission, however, (the sixth,) iswholly employed in connection with the press mechanism, and only servesto regulate the speed of the motor M, .(employed to actuate press-leverw by eccentric 12 to correspond with the speed of drum A, over whichpasses the strip of perforated transmitting-paper T. At the transmittersix branches e f g h t" j respectively connected with the sixconducting-fingers mounted upon 0 are employed in connection withbattery 13, and as the perforations of the paper pass under the metallicfingers the circuit to line is closed through drum A and those branchesWhose fingers are permitted to make contact therewith. Five harmonictransmitters, differently keyed, are placed in branches 6 f g h t",while branchj is a continuous conductor, it being employed for sendingMorse currents. By this means the six receivinginstruments U V, &c., maybe brought into action in any desired combination.

Rotation of type-wheel T IV is effected by the first five longitudinalrows of perforations, while the infrequent perforations in the sixth soregulate the action of motor M that the type-wheel will receive animpression-blow only after it has been moved into adjustment therefor.Each character is perforated in a single transverse line in the paperstrip T, and such lines are placed at equal distances apart along itslength, and thus the perforations for one letter or character afteranother come under the metallic fingers of the transmitter at regularintervals of time. The typewheel, of course, cannot be adjusted to allpositions in equal times. For example, its adj ustment to print E wouldbe more quickly accomplished than for F, owing to the fact that in onecase the movement is only slight, being one-eighth of a rotation, whilein the other it must not only be given an entire half-rotation but mustalso be moved two spaces along its axis. In transmitting the letter E,therefore, the type-wheel would be adjusted forits impression almostinstantly upon bringing the perforation representing such letter underthe corresponding finger of the transmitter and would remain so adjustedduring the entire period of transit of such perforation and during theconsequent transmissionthat is to say, while the finger remains withinsuch perforation. The character F upon the wheel, however, might notreach its position of adjustment until each of its several perforationshad passed half-way or more under the metallic fingers. The longest timerequired for the adjustment of any character upon the type-wheel shouldbe the period allowed for all, and thus if the time required to adjustthe wheel forits most remote character from the initial point heone-half that occupied by the transit of a perforation under a finger ofthe transmitter it is obvious that the press mechanism should be sotimed as only to deliver its impressionblow after the firsthalf of theperforation in each case had passed the points of the fingers-that is tosay, during the last half of the transmission employed to adjust thewheel. Under these circumstances it is apparent that correct impressionswill be taken if the paper upon which the message is recorded be pressedagainst the wheel and withdrawn during the last half of eachtransmission. To accomplish this result, I employ the motor M, as abovestated, at the receiver (it being rotated at the same speed as ispaper-drum A of the transmitter) to rapidly vibrate press-lever m byeccentric y, the latter being placed upon the shaft of themotor-armature. If motor M is running in unison with the transmitter,the press-lever w will be raised against and withdrawn from type-wheel TW during the last half of each transmission. If, however, the impressionbe not taken during such time, adjustment is rendered necessary, and themotor M should be made to run faster or slower, as occasion requires.Adjustment mightbe effected by sending a current from thetransmitting-station for each impresssion, but such frequency isunnecessary. Unison can be efi'ected by sending one impulse for eachtwenty characters transmitted, and to this end a u nison-perforation ismade in everytwentieth transverse row of the perforated paper. Wheneverone of these perforations comes under a finger of the transmitterharmonic relay Z is actuated, thus opening the local circuit of relay 14and causing lever 27 to make contact with back-stop 26, and during thisperiod if motor M is running out of unisonresistance will beautomatically inserted or removed from its circuit, according as it isrequired to make'it operate slower or faster. The motor-circuit 26includes the armature and field coils of the motor, a rotary arm n, anda series of resistance-coils and switch-plates 0. The plates areinsulated from one another, except through the resistance-coils, andthus the resistance of the motor-circuit is increased or diminished bymoving arm n to the left or the right.

A rotating commutator A is so geared with the shaft of the motor bymeans of a train of gearing B that it rotates once for each twenty turnsof the motor-shaft. The commutator consists of two conducting-rings u,s, and they are respectively provided with inwardlyprojectingconducting-pieces o to. Parts 12' w are separated along the length ofthe commutator by a strip of insulating material of such width that itwill rotate under the end of contact-spring p in the same time that isrequired for one of the unison-perforations of the paperstrip to passunder thecorresponding contact-finger of the transmitter, and if themotor and transmitter are in unison such insulating-strip will completeits movement under the point of spring 19 during the move-.

ment of a unison-perforation past its finger;

spring 19, wire 21, lever 27, and stop 26.

but if out of unison p will make contact with 7 either 1; or 20 whilesuch finger is still within aunison-perforation. Springs 7" and g are inrotating contact with u s and are joined to wires 23 and 24.. the latterincluding magnets b 0'. These wires unite at 22, and are connected toback-stop 26 by wire 25. If now motor M is working too fast spring 19will be in contact with 0 during contact between drum A and theunison-finger or while lever 27 is closed upon contact 26, thuscompleting a local circuit by way of wires 25 24, magnet 0, spring 4",ring it, conducting projection '0, Onthe other hand, if the motor wereworking too slowly a local circuit would be completed by way of wire 25,wire 23, magnet 1), spring q, ring 8, conducting projection to, springp, and wire 21. net I) will actuate armature-lever 7c and rotatestar-toothed wheel m and arm n one step to the right, therebydiminishing the resistance of the motor-circuit and correspondinglyincreasing the rapidity of its speed, or if moving too rapidly magnet 0'will rotate wheel m and arm a one step to the left at each revolution ofA until adjustment is effected. If, however, A and A are in unisonneither I) nor 0 will be actuated, and arm n will remain unmoved.Insteadof employing a sixth row of perforations, as in Fig. 3, I mayemploy upon drum A a rotating circuit-closer consisting of a hub ofinsulating material 0", having a conducting-section p" anda spring at",to which is attached branch 'i, which includes aharmonic-circuit breakerfor sending a musical tone to line to operate Z at the receiver wheneverp" and u come in contact.

In this case the paper should be moved the space of twenty perforatedcharacters at each rotation of drum A. Obviously the apparatushereinbefore described may be modified to send unison-impulses withgreater or less frequency by merely changing the proportions of itsparts.

Drum A should be rotated at as nearly a uniform rate of speed as ispossible by any suitable motor, as M, which is substantially the same ash of Fig. 4, though even if its rate were somewhat irregular unisonwould be maintained through the agency of the devices already described.

In commutator A conducting-pieces v to may be given greatercircumferential lengths than are here shown, and in practiceit wouldbedesirable to do so in order that regulation may be effected when A isrunning much faster or slower than A.

Instead of employing a sixth transmission in the same direction, asshown in Fig. 3, to establish unison between the transmitter and pressmechanism of the receiver, the sixth transmission may be in a directionopposite to the other five, as represented in Fig. 4.

In Fig. 4 shaft r" of motor M carriesv an eccentric 1 which operatespress-lever w, and a commutator D is so geared to shaft r" as Thus ifmovingtoo slowly magto rotate, for example, once for each twentyrevolutions of the latter. This commutator affords a normal earthconnection at the receiver by way of spring 9, conducting-ring 11, andspring 7, while at the same time the circuit of battery 13 is broken butonce during each revolution an insulating-block 12 breaks such earthconnection and at the same time establishes connection to battery B byway of spring 6, conducting-ring 10, and spring 8. Rings 10 and 11 areseparated from each other by means of insulating-sections 13 and 12. Inorder that currents from B" may in no wise interfere withreceiving-instruments U V W X Y, an artificial line, beginning at 16,and of a resistance substantially equal to that of the main line, isemployed, within which are included equating-coils of the relays, alsorheostat R. A condenser may be used in the usual manner to overcome theeffects of static induction in case of very long lines. A differentialmagnet Z, Fig. l, is also employed at the transmitting-station, and itis actuated by currents from battery B" at the receiving-station, but isneutral in respect to outgoing currents, owing to the action of theequating-coil, which is placed in circuit with a rheostat R, whoseresistance is equal to that of the main line from point 15 to earth atthe distant station. A current transmitted from B" passes directly toearth through the transmitter or through both coils of Z and thence toearth through the artificial line, and thereby opens the circuit ofmagnet lat, permitting lever 27 to fall upon its back contact 20. MotorM is geared with the paper-drum A of the transmitter, and upon the axisof the latter is placed a commutator A, precisely the same as A in Fig.3, and in connection with such commutator are a system of localcircuits, magnets b 0, arms Z, a star-toothed wheel on, arm n, rheostat0, consisting of resistance-coils and switch-plates, local circuit 20,and motor M, and gearing B, identically the same as that of Fig. 3,already described. It is thus seen that if operating in exact unisoncommutators D and A will occupy the relation shown in Fig. 4cthat is tosay, while B is connected to line through spring 6, ring 10, and spring8, the point of spring-p will rest upon the insulating-space betweenconducting-sections r) w; butif they are out of unison when E isconnected to line,p will come in contact with either 1; or w, and inconsequence thereof the speed of the motor will be increased ordecreased and made to equal that of M, thereby causing the pressmechanism to deliver its impression-blows only after the type-wheel hasbeen adjusted to its desired position. In Fig. 4. shaft 0"" of motor Mextends through an axial opening of commutator D, while said shaft andcommutator are so joined by train 13 that the former rotates twentytimes as often as the latter.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have, for convenience of.

coils of motors M M as included in a single local circuit. Thepreferable plan, however, would be to sustain the fields by a separateand independent local circuit of constant resistance. Both plans are,however, equally well known in the art, and neither in itself forms anypart of my invention.

Many efficientuuisons have been devised for causing a rotating object atone station to move in synchronism with another at a distant station bymeans of periodicallytransmitting currents or otherwise, and while thereare many features of noveltyin the particular unison which I havehereinbefore described, my invention relates more particularly to theuse of any unison for telegraphicallyestablishing synchronism betweentransmitting and receiving stations, and to thereby cause the action ofa vibrating press-lever to closely follow that of a type-wheel, so thatimpression-blows may only be given after the wheel has been adjusted.

In Fig. 4E I have shown a local circuit 17, including magnet 18, whichwhen X is operated by harmonic impulses is broken, there by closinglocal circuit 19. The latter circuit includes magnet at of the seriesemployed to actuate the impelling devices of the printer. The otherharmonic receivers have like local arrangements, each being providedwith a local circuit 17, which is normally closed. During vibration theharmonic reeds of the relays raise the supplemental pivoted levers fromtheir contacts and thus break the local circuit of the repeating-relays.The local circuit of U may operate a repeating-relay and the latter amagnet for operating an impelling device of the receiver, or such magnetmay replace the repeatiugrelay.

From the foregoing it will be seen that if the type-wheel is onceadjusted, the same character may be printed as many times as' may bedesired without moving the wheel or any part connected therewith. Again,it is apparent that to adjust the wheel to print a second character theimpelling devices brought into action for such purpose may be actuatedwhile the ones for effecting the preceding adjustment are being returnedto their normal positions. In other words, while one set of adjusters isreturning to normal position a second set may be brought into action.If, however, printing were only performed as a consequence of the returnof the type-wheel to zero after each adjustment, as is the case in myother'application, a second set of impelling devices could not begintheir movement until the first had returned to their original position.It also results from my improved method of printing that where adjoining characters have perforations in the same horizontal row of thepaper, they may be run together, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and thus itis that the impelling device controlled by them will remain in the sameposition during the printing of both.

In my preceding application it is found necessary to employ two blankspaces upon the type-wheel, because (as the paper-feed of the receiveris operated by the press mechanism and the press in turn by thetype-wheel) it had to present a blank space to the platen after havingbeen moved, to enable spacing between words in the received message.This was accomplished by rotating the wheel one step, bringing thesecond blank over the platen, and by then actuating the latter. Thismode of spacing required the transmittingpaper to be so perforated as tosend an impulse which would operate an impelling de- Vice tobring thesecond blank into position for an impression. In my present form,however, the paper band is left blank where spac- 1ng is required, andonly one blank space upon the type-wheel is necessary. Another advantageis that the type-wheel remains stationary while spaces are formed.

By referring to Figs. 3 and 4 it is seen that the type-wheel adjustmentsrequired in printing the words automatic printing-telegraph are effectedby thirty-four independent. transmissions. It is thus found that onlylittle more than a single transmission per letter is required, (as thereare twenty-six letters and two spaces involved,) and that a singletransmission suffices to adjust the wheel for about half the charactersoccurringin a message. As seen in Fig. 3, a single perforation in thethird longitudinal row of the transmitting-paper is required for a, onein the second and one in the fourth for u, one in the second, which isrun into the upper perforation of the preceding character, for t, one inthefourth for o, perforations in the first, second, and third for m, andso on.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a printing-telegraph system, the combination of an automatictransmitter and a uniformly-moving motor for operating the same, atype-wheel of the receiving-instrument which is periodically adjustedfor an impression by said automatic transmitter, aperiodically-operating press device for giving impression-blows afterthe type-wheel has been brought to position for printing, a motor foroperating said press mechanism, and a telegraphic unison for causing themotor which actuates said press mechanism to operate synchronously Withthe motor for driving the transmitter, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a multiple-telegraph system, an automatictransmitter therefor, a motor for operating said transmitter, areceiving-instrument having a type-Wheel and a series of impellingdevices for periodically adjusting the same for printing, a pressmechanism for periodically giving impressionblowsto the type-wheel whenadjusted, a motor for operating said press mechanism, and a unisonmechanism for causing the pressmotor to operate synchronously'with thatof the transmitter, substantially as described.

3. In a printing-telegraph, the combination of a type-wheel and a pressmechanism, the two being independent one of the other, an

automatic transmitter for periodically adjusting the type-wheel, a motorfor periodically operating said press mechanism to give impression-blowsafter each adjustment, and a unison mechanism connectingthe impressiondevices and transmitter, all substantially as described.

4. In a telegraphic unison, the combination of motors M M, a maintelegraph-line, a transmitting-commutator D for sending unison impulsesto line, a receiving-commutator A, a rheostat 0 for regulating the speedof motor M, main-line relay Z, a local circuit controlled by said relayand commutator A, and motor mechanism controlled thereby for insertingor removing coils of rheostat 0 from the circuit of motor M, allsubstantially as described.

5. The combination of commutator A, consisting of rings to 8, havingprojecting conductors o to, with an intervening section of insulatingmaterial, springs p g r, magnets b c, a local circuit therefor, relay Z,rheostat 0, motor M, and a local circuitincluding said rheostat andmotor, substantially as described.

6. The combination of motor M in a local circuit, including rheostat 0',switch-arm n, star-Wheel m, arms Z, magnets b c, acommutator A, havingrings 7.6 s, projecting parts o to, with an interposed insulatingsection and springs p q r, relay Z,a main line, a unison-transmitter ata distant station, and a motor for operating the same having anapproximately-uniform speed of rotation.

7. In a printing-telegraph system, the combination of an automatictransmitter, a main line, a type-wheel which is periodically adjusted toprint by said transmitter, a motor for operating said transmitter, pressmechanism for periodically giving impressionbloWs to the type-wheel, amotor for actuating said press mechanism, a unison-transmitter operatedby said press-motor for transmitting impulses to thetransmitting-station, and a regulating mechanism at the transmitteroperated by said unison-currents, whereby the transmitter is made to runin unison with and follow the movement of the press-motor, allsubstantially as described.

8. In a printing-telegraph system, the combination of a type-wheel, asystem of multiple transmission in one direction for adjusting thetype-wheel, and an additional transmission in the opposite direction toeffect unison between the press-motor at one station and the transmitterat the other, difierential relays U V, the, for controlling thetype-wheel, differential relay Z at the transmitting-station,commutators D A, and motors M M, all substantially as described.

9. In a printing-telegraph, the combination of a type-wheel, aconstantly-acting motor M, eccentric y for operating press-lever or, aunison-transmitter operated by said motor, a main line, aunison-receiver at the distant station, a motor controlled by saidunison-receiver, and transmitting mechanism for controlling thetype-wheel operated by such m0- tor in unison with the press-motor, allsubstantially as described.

10. In a printing-telegraph, a type-wheel which is adjusted to positionfor printing at WWW regular intervals and a periodicallyacting [0 pressmechanism which is disconnected with the type-wheel mechanism, allsubstantially as described.

CHARLES L. BUCKINGIIAM.

Witnesses:

. WM. ARNOUX,

JOHN C. SANDERS.

